SplaTWOn, coming to a Nintendo Switch near you, March 2017!
We saw a good handful of games during the Nintendo Switch reveal trailer, but it wasn’t exactly clear which ones were new games and which ones are making a return from the Wii U console. We look at all the clues and present compelling cases for which games are new and which ones are definitive editions!
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
NX rumors began shortly after Wii U launched. People were quickly eager for the next big thing.
Closing in on Switch’s first year, and Nintendo fans aren’t fidgeting for news on its successor. We’re content. Eager for certain game announcements, yes, but satisfied with the hardware.
“What do you want in the next Nintendo console?” Even enthusiasts are having a hard time answering that. A more powerful Switch, I guess?
And I would agree with that. Friends texted me right after the Switch reveal video, asking me what I thought. My response: What more could you want? It’s got all the buttons, it’s HD, and you can play on your TV or take it anywhere.
In many ways, we’ve arrived. Similar to the cellular market, where your phone looks about the same as it did 4 or 5 models ago, the Nintendo hardware line is maturing.
Could you imagine a follow-up console to the Switch not being portable? You don’t want to think about that, do you? Rest assured, the hybrid strategy is here to stay.
With Nintendo, that is. Competitors like Microsoft and Sony might not adopt it so quickly because of their emphasis on graphical power.
You can think of those companies as desktop PC makers, whereas Nintendo has differentiated itself as the laptop provider. Not leading the charge in technical specifications but in form-factor.
There certainly are advancements still waiting to be made in the gaming industry, make no mistake. In five years or less, we’ll likely have the opportunity to purchase a 4K Switch tablet with VR capabilities.
But Switch represents a revolution in how Nintendo makes their flagship consoles.
There’s a small possibility that Nintendo might be launching a new console NEXT YEAR. That’s insane. The hype train is already started to toot toot!
While Nintendo’s hardware developers are hard at work creating the successor to the Wii U, we are hard at work scrutinizing every rumor and theory that emerges about the NX console!
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Reformat” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Some of our ideas are a bit conflicting with each other’s, so it will be interesting to see who’s wishes are granted!
Nintendo’s next console is in the works, so Simeon and Scott each bring some unique ideas for the Big N’s new system. There’s plenty of things to agree or disagree with, so let us know below!
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Reformat” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Now that Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U has been out for a year, we’re doing the most natural thing: Compiling a list of characters for the next Smash Bros. Game! Who makes your cut?
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Reformat” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
It’s that time of year again! E3 is just around the corner, and the crew is making their E3 bingo card! Will they be as successful as they were last year?
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Reformat” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Somewhere in Japan, Nintendo’s Research & Development staff members are pulling overtime and long nights to create Nintendo’s next console, codenamed NX. Soon we will have our first official details on the console and it will be off to the production lines. I predict that NX will bear some striking similarities to one of their past consoles, the Nintendo GameCube.
I think that Nintendo’s next console will be taking a leaf out of the GameCube’s book.
• • •
It is good to be a Nintendo fan. During E3 2016 we were treated to a monumental information and footage dump of a brand new Zelda game: Breath of the Wild. This new open world adventure is our first confirmed NX game.
NX just had its first game confirmed
Yet, as the excitement of E3 dies down in the weeks following the convention, Nintendo fans are still restless with excitement. Why? Because Nintendo didn’t show all of the cards in their hand like some of their competitors did at E3 this year. No, Nintendo is still playing things rather close to the chest as they gear up for a full-blown NX reveal event which should take place within a few months if indeed this new hardware will launch in March of 2017.
One question is burned into every Nintendo fan’s mind: what is NX?
That’s the question that causes our thumbs to navigate to fan-sites for news every morning. That’s the question that allows attention-starved trolls to mock up fake leaks of the console. I don’t put much stock in rumors that circulate outside of the few days before events, but that doesn’t stop me from coming up with my own theories.
I think that the NX will be a home console constructed with the same sensibilities that gave birth to the GameCube. I have some compelling arguments to present, but keep in mind that I know just as much about the NX as the next guy on the Internet: absolutely nothing.
Standard Controller
I’m willing to bet pretty heavily on this one. Why? Nintendo has been rebranding. Corporate rebrands are expensive (hit me up – I’m a graphic designer and I will charge you a lot of money). Reconstructing the image that a company projects of themselves is much like turning a gigantic ship; it takes a lot of time and effort to go in a new direction.
Nintendo just spent that time and effort on a corporate rebrand – they’re going red themed down to their Twitter Avatar, and they have a new slogan to go with it: There’s No Play Like It.
Nintendo’s new slogan, with which they will march into Holiday 2016 and into 2017
4 buttons: A, B, X, and sometimes Y.
No, wait – always Y.
These are the symbols that Nintendo has chosen to represent them for the next generation, and they will be on the NX controller.
We only know of one NX game and it’s Breath of the Wild, which is controlled by the standard buttons of the Wii U GamePad, and is also compatible with the Pro controller. Nintendo has stated that the game is the “same experience” on NX and therefore suggests that we will not be playing with a remote, a glass surface, or other non-traditional methods of input.
Buttons are all you need to control NX’s first confirmed game, Breath of the Wild
Keeping the cost low on the controller (by minimizing sensors) is also a lesson that Nintendo learned from the Wii U’s commercial failure. Any development dollars left over could be directly applied to the console’s internal specs, which will be needed in order to stay in the same league as Nintendo’s competition.
Not the Strongest Kid on the Block
Every time Nintendo is due for a new console, these rumors kick into gear: It’s going to be the most powerful console on the market! As much as I dislike to break it to you…
NX will not be a powerhouse 4K VR juggernaut.
Nintendo doesn’t have the experience in high-end computing that would be required to go head-to-head (or headset-to-headset) with the likes of Facebook’s Oculus or Sony’s PSVR. What Nintendo DOES have a great track record of doing is this: implementing affordable tech, optimizing its performance, and marketing it to all ages and audiences.
The Nintendo Gamecube did not outclass its contemporaries with impressive specs, but it was home to many creative innovations (within a set of limitations) that produced groundbreaking titles like Metroid Prime and Wind Waker, which were marvels for their time.
Different Media Format
Nintendo is not comfortable with doing things the same way. You won’t catch them copying themselves or others… very often. *cough*amiibo*cough*
Just like the GameCube featured its own unique media format, NX is likely to pivot away from those smooth Blu-Ray discs we’ve come to love on Wii U.
Rumor has it, NX will utilize cartridges.
Don’t think clunky N64 games – carts can be the size of an SD card these days.
Why move from a disc format? Well, solid state media (as opposed to spinning discs) would be quite beneficial for transporting the unit and, dare I suggest, all-around portability? The absence of moving parts is what enables portables to be taken on the go, and cartridges provide other benefits like being more durable, not getting scratches and smudges, etc.
It’s also important to remember that the amount of systems Nintendo has put out that featured discs is far outnumbered by the ones with cartridges… this would not be out of left field.
Emphasis on Portability
You know where this is going in regards to NX, but how does it relate back to the GameCube approach?
^ Did no one, ever
Yep – that. That strange lunchbox handle fixed to the back of the GameCube, meant to help you carry the console around. Sure, there was no gaming on-the-go associated with this feature, but we’ve come a long way since then.
Not only was the Gamecube physically constructed to be carried, but the console offered many different opportunities to link up and cross over with handled gaming – even more than the Wii and Wii U have done.
Now that Nintendo has moved their Portable and Console divisions under one roof, we should see a strong push in the arena of portability, mobility, and connectivity.
So, What is the NX?
I think it will be a home console that is not tethered to a TV screen. It may come with a miniature portable screen and stand; it may connect via Bluetooth or adapters to your smartphone or tablet for display purposes, or it might have a small, personal projector bulb.
Whatever NX is, it will certainly be unique.
Nintendo needs a game-changer. Nintendo needs to capture a new generation of children that are growing up on Minecraft and the App Store. It’s time for Nintendo to get back in the game!
Two Button Crew will be eagerly awaiting further details on Nintendo’s NX console, and we will continue to cover all things Nintendo on our Daily Show for Nintendo Fans.
Sometimes you do something so often that you just forget how to show.
If you thought “Open Air Adventure” was a specific genre, wait till you hear what we’ve done to the rest of the franchise! Help make TBC better! twobuttoncrew.com/survey
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Reformat” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
There comes a time in every console’s life when it’s time to say goodbye. Today we bid farewell to the Wii U and remember fondly it’s brightest moments.
Music: “Wii U-logy” by Ryan Van Liere | Download MP3
As someone who has been a Nintendo fan since I was old enough to hold a controller, I have never seen the company attempting to juggle so many different projects at the same time.
With Nintendo dabbling in so many areas, is it only a matter of time until they start dropping the ball?
Let’s take a moment and examine everything that Nintendo has on their plate, so we can determine if they’ve bitten off more than they can chew:
It makes me anxious just thinking about all of the things that Nintendo management must deal with on a regular basis, and each and every one of those projects comes with their own set of challenges: public relations, marketing, quality assurance, customer service, and more.
Wisely, Nintendo is not embarking on all of these endeavors alone. With the help of other established companies like DeNA, VANS, and Universal Studios, Nintendo is only shouldering a partial load for some of these projects. Still…
The load adds up quickly.
How many different ways can Nintendo’s attention be split before their products begin to suffer?
We’ve already begun to see the affects of an unfocused Nintendo, I’m afraid. The publisher was banking on a hit success with the Wii U, but the console performed below expectations, causing Nintendo to focus on attaining cash flow through additional means. The key to this extra revenue? Intellectual Property (or IP). Nintendo has invested in their character for decades, and finally decided that the time to cash in… is now.
Nintendo’s famous stable of characters can now be seen in places previously untouched by the company: mobile games, figurine toys, and more.
Is this a bad thing? No. But does it mean that we will get fewer software releases? Inevitably, it must. You’ve felt it on the Wii U and 3DS for the past couple of years.
Can we fault Nintendo for outsourcing some of these projects, like with DeNA and VANS?
Perhaps.
The risk with partnerships is the very integrity of your brand.
There are more companies trying to turn a profit with Nintendo’s own IP now than ever before, and Nintendo has less control over them.
Remember when 5th Cell was given permission to add Mario characters to their Scribblenauts game? It was called Scribblenauts Unlimited, because you could modify whatever nouns you wanted with any adjectives you would like. Except for the Mario characters.
Angry sweater? Check. Loose goose? Check. Green Mario? No go.
Nintendo’s IP used to be sacred, but now it’s plastered on tie-dye, Hawaiian VANS apparel with abandon.
Nintendo can make money through video games, theme parks, apparel and frozen yogurt… but they shouldn’t have done it all at once, with plummeting hardware sales.
The NX should have been priority 1, it should have been unveiled at E3, because it should be on store shelves this Holiday.
